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Speakers, including academics, cultural activists, and researchers on Saturday said that the interim government failed to meet people’s expectations after the July mass uprising.

They slammed the government for failing to ensure proper treatment to and rehabilitation of the injured people timely, carry out reforms in different sectors, reveal the agreements between Bangladesh and foreign countries signed during the Awami League regime, and bring an end to mob violence, among others.  

They made the remarks at an event titled ‘One year of the interim government: a review of responsibilities and roles’, organised by Ganatantrik Odhikar Committee, a platform working for democratic rights, held at the Economic Reporters Forum auditorium in the capital.

Chairing the event, committee member and former Jahangirnagar University economics professor Anu Muhammad said, ‘The government has failed to meet people’s expectations in the past one year.’

About the next national election, he stated that in addition to carrying out administrative and organisational reforms it was a must for a responsible and impartial interim government to hold an acceptable election.

Reviewing the past one year of the government, he said, ‘The World Bank, IMF, JICA have exploited and oppressed the people through various debt-based projects in the past 15 years. Instead of evaluating these projects, the trend of undertaking various economic projects dependent on foreign loans is getting stronger. The interim government has not yet cancelled the foreign and import-dependent power and energy master plan.’

‘Instead of eliminating gender, ethnic, religious, and economic inequalities, the interim government is increasing these inequalities, which is contrary to the aspirations of the mass uprising,’ said Anu Muhammad.

He criticised the government for signing anti-national agreements with America without unveiling the details of the agreements to the people as well as for signing a ‘non-disclosure agreement’ to keep the agreement secret.

Dhaka University teacher Moshahida Sultana said that repression on workers was still going on like by the past fascist regime.

The information system for readymade garment workers, she said, was designed to be used for the development of the workers while the system is still misused to repress the workers and to fire them from work in a way that they can no longer get work in other factories.

While sharing her experiences of working with July uprising injured, architect Farhana Sharmin Emu said that there was a huge lack of coordination among the responsible government institutions for which proper treatment to and rehabilitation of the injured people could not be ensured timely.

‘Over the past one year, the July victims have never been on the interim government’s priority list. Is it because 90 per cent of the July victims are from low-income working-class families? she questioned.

‘No comprehensive rehabilitation plan has yet been adopted by the state,’ she added.

Independent filmmaker Akram Khan highlighted the government’s failure to uphold inclusive cultural activities across the country while writer and researcher Kallol Mustafa criticised the overall activities of the interim government in the past one year.